While special counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice, legal experts and scholars at the Brookings Institute have determined that the president likely broke the law by firing former FBI director James Comey and, as a result, could be impeached by Congress.

A new report from Brookings analysts Barry Berke, Noah Bookbinder and Norman Eisen found that Trump "likely obstructed justice" when he impeded the investigations of Michael Flynn and Russia's election interference by firing Comey.

"Attempts to stop an investigation represent a common form of obstruction. Demanding the loyalty of an individual involved in an investigation, requesting that individual's help to end the investigation, and then ultimately firing that person to accomplish that goal are the type of acts that have frequently resulted in obstruction convictions," the analysis said.

In May Trump gave an interview with NBC News in which he admitted to wanting to fire Comey because "this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story." Multiple times, the president said that he had urged Comey to not pursue an investigation into Flynn. During Comey's testimony to Congress, Comey revealed that Trump told him: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

Although the president had the authority to fire Comey, the analysis asserted that Trump's intent was material to an obstruction of justice charge.